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Epitaph of Twilight (Poem)
The Epitaph of Twilight (黄昏の碑文), sometimes the Epitaph of the Twilight, is an epic written by Emma Wielant. It tells of the battle between the Cursed Wave and the armies of light and darkness. The story centers around a human and two half-sprites searching for the Twilight Dragon, who is foretold to have the power to defeat the Cursed Wave. The Twilight Dragon cannot talk, but instead, it speaks to your heart. If the will to be rid of the Cursed Wave is strong enough, the Twilight Dragon will destroy it, but if it isn't, then it will not. Assisting them in their journey to the Wavering Peninsula at the edge of the world, where the Twilight Dragon is rumored to exist, are Fili the White, and Bith the Black, assistants to Apeiron, King of Light, and Helba, Queen of the Dark. The original version was published on Emma Wielant's personal website, and never completed. Since it had special security measures that kept people from normally saving, printing, or copying the text for themselves, the only way to view it was online. When Emma died the original was thought to be lost, but some copies and notes, as well as a purported hardcopy, remained. Supposedly the Epitaph used as the setting for Fragment, and that carried over into The World. However, since it was still only based off of fragments of knowledge, much of The World's setting was created by CC Corp. It is often unknown what elements came from the Epitaph, and what were additions. The Epitaph was also supposedly added by Harald for the development of Aura. Since the original Epitaph was lost, it's impossible to know how close the copies are to the original, though small pieces remain. Even in the real world, fan versions of the Epitaph float around. It is later revealed however, that Harald was somehow able to obtain the original manuscript, which exists in The World as the Book of Twilight. The Epitaph is said to begin at "Navel of Lake", also known as Δ Hidden Forbidden Holy Ground in The World. The following are the known fragments of the Epitaph. Epitaph of The Twilight From the introduction of .hack//Infection and posted by W. B. Yeats :Yet to return, the shadowed one. :Who quests for the Twilight Dragon :Rumbles the Dark Hearth, :And Helba, Queen of the DarkThe Japanese version of the Epitaph used the Old Norse words Lios and Dakk interchangeably with "Light" and "Dark". This is where Lios's name comes from., :has finally raised her army. :Apeiron, King of Light beckons. :At the base of the rainbow they meet :Against the abominable Wave, :together they fight. :Alba's lake boils. :Light's great tree doth fall. :Power- now all to droplets turned :in the temple of Arche Koeln. :Returns to nothing, :this world of shadowless ones. :Never to return, the shadowed one, :Who quests for the Twilight Dragon. The Phases in the Epitaph Found in an E-mail by Wiseman :Unknown where the Cursed Wave was born… :After the stars doth cross the heavens, :The sky in the East doth darken and air doth fill with mourning. :From the chosen land beyond the forest, a sign of the wave comes. :Riding the Wave is Skeith, the Shadow of Death, to drown all that stands. :Mirage of Deceit, Innis, Betray all with the flawed image, and did aid the Wave. :And by the Power of Magus, a drop from the Wave doth reach the heavens, and creates a new Wave. :With the Wave, Fidchell, the power to tell the dark future, hope darkens, sadness and despair rule. :Gorre schemes when swallowed by the Cursed Wave. :Macha seduces with the sweet trap. :Wave reaches the Pinnacle, and escape none can. Tarvos still remains with more cruelty to punish and destroy. :And with the turbulent destruction after the Wave. Only a void remains. From deep within the void arrives Corbenik. :Perhaps then the Wave is just a beginning as well. Epitaph 00 Found at Θ Cursed Despaired Paradise :Shunning the field broken by Wave. :The shadowed girl whispers, :"Surely, I will return." :Alas, the truth unbeknownst. :Awaiting her at journey's end; :Eternal mourning for her land. Epitaph 01 Found at Λ Dying Madness Haunted Land :When the finger points to the :yonder moon, :The fool will not look at the fingertip. Notes from Analysis *It is thought that Harald, who did not realize at first what a daunting task creating the Ultimate AI would be, particularly related to this passage, as felt foolish in his lack of foresight. Epitaph 02 Found at Σ Chatting Snarling Twins :The whole cannot be changed. :We have already lost that chance. :Because the time left to us was short, :We were mistaken in our path. :But now do we realize, :We should change not the whole, :But the parts. Epitaph 03 Found at Σ Resonating False Grasslands :Wave soars and shrouds the eyes. :No means to fight an omnipresent force, :The shadowless ones just grieve. :Why must it be a Wave? :Divide, if it would just... :Then retaliate, we may. Epitaph 04 Found in Σ Screaming Wind Sand's Fate Castle :Over the Keel Mountains, :Meets an ape with human speech. :The ape asks, :"What clings to you? :Bear it—you cannot. :Accept it—you cannot. :But hidden—it is from you. :Recite its name." Answer Your own name—the name of your shadow, your dark side. Fidchell's Prophecy Recited by the Phase Fidchell the Prophet :Like a frenzied horse that is driven. :An unseen wind of plague shrieks across the border. :Pandemonium, wailing, and stench of carnage fills the air. :There is no place to run. No hope of escape. :Those who are mourned will never return. :The hands of time cannot be turned back. Notes from Analysis *"Wind of plague" refers to the virus corruption. *"Border" refers to the servers, security zones, and the real world. *"Those who are mourned" refers to the belief that computers are infallible and dependable. "Epigraph" From Another Birth Vol.2 :The Keel Mountains traversed at last, :we met a dragon that spoke thus: :"Sheraton am I, who interprets the signs. :An answer to my question, give. :If you can, complete my role will be, :and I will leave this land. :Though equally it exists before everyone's eyes, :grasp it not one person can. :Tell me—what is it?" Answer "The moment." Mia's Words From Another Birth Vol.3 :Plaird of the Seven Sisters, :falling in love with a human, :Became a Shadowed One and was exiled from the Dark. :Hence, her name came to be called Plaird the Fallen. :At her wandring's end, :she settled in seclusion in Arche Haokar. :However, those days may not last. :A reunion may come, or may not. :Plaird's form vanishes at the coming of the sign of the Wave. Characters in the Epitaph *Apeiron, King of Light - The preserver of order. *Bith the BlackAn outline of the Epitaph found in Analysis and on the CC2 website refers to "Bith the White" and "Magi the Black". The Epitaph as known by Helba and various others in the series refers to "Bith the Black" and "Fili the White". It seems likely that these are the same characters, whose names differ between drafts of the poem. - An elderly sage. The black guide. A servant of Helba. *Bith the White - A half-sprite who accompanies Saya. His relation to Bith the Black is unknown. *Crimson Knights - Warriors of the Dark, said to be opposed to the Cobalt Knights. *Cobalt Knights - Warriors of the Light, said to be opposed to the Crimson Knights. *Corbenik - The Rebirth. *Cubia - An ancient lifeform. *Culhwch - Watchman of the Crystal Forest. *Dorin - A QiLin who sleeps under the "Great Tree of Light." *Fidchell - The Prophet. *Fili the White - A young sage. The white guide. *Gorre - The Machinator. *Helba, Queen of the Dark - The destroyer of order. *Innis - The Mirage of Deceit. *Jinn of the Desert - A solitary sprite who watches over the sprouting of the seeds of the World Tree. *Macha - The Temptress. *Magi the Black - A half-sprite who accompanies Saya. *Magus - The Propagation. *The Pleiades - Seven water sprite sisters who wanted to become human. *Saya - A human, and eldest of the people of the Chosen Land. The shadowed one, who quests for the Twilight Dragon and crosses the Dividing Forest. *Sconk - A cowardly monster. *Sheradon - An ape who wears a fez and looks down on humans. *Sheraton - A dragon who interprets the Signs. *Tartarga - A tortoise who lives in the True Underworld and possesses ancient knowledge. *Tarvos - The Avenger. *Skeith - The Terror of Death. Places in the Epitaph *The Temple at Arche Koeln Falls *Navel of Lake *The Keel Mountains Trivia *The Twilight Dragon from the Epitaph is frequently invoked by hardcore players as a blessing. Wiseman is especially fond of this. *According to Analysis, Fidchell's Prophecy is also a fragment of the Epitaph. *In the areas where you find Epitaph 02 and Epitaph 04, Harald's memory fragments activate from floor to floor. *In Greek mythology, the Pleiades are nymphs (i.e., beautiful minor divinities of nature) and the seven daughters of the Titan Atlas and the sea-nymph Pleione born on Mount Cyllene. They were turned into stars by Zeus, and the Pleiades star cluster, which is named after the mythological Pleiades, is called Subaru in Japan. Other Notes category: The World ja: 黄昏の碑文